Broken Souls
by NyssaBlack
Summary: Draco Malfoy was perfectly fine living his life of isolation. He thought that's what he deserved after all the horrible mistakes he made during his time at Hogwarts. When a certain witch shows up at his doorsteps, beaten and helpless, he has no choice but to help her. With his life of seclusion disrupted, he's forced to rethink everything he thought he wanted.
1. Chapter 1

A small sliver of light started to peak through Draco's curtains, he rolled over, wishing for just one more hour of rest. His wand started to vibrate next to him and he let out an irritated moan into his pillow. That was about five hours' worth of sleep, the most he'd gotten in a whole month. Sleep did not come easy for him anymore, come to think of it, it never really had. Even as a boy, he'd always struggled falling asleep and staying asleep for that matter. Only now he would've loved having his childhood nightmares of monsters under the bed and werewolves in the closet. Now his nightmares tormented him of the mistakes he made, and the lives lost because of them, they haunted him of the horrors of a war he longed to forget. He rubbed at his eyes before throwing the blankets off and mustering up some strength to start the day. He got dressed quickly, his usual grey slacks and black button-down shirt, and a traditional wizard robe to go over. He liked to mix some modern clothes in his attire, but not too much to draw attention to himself. He made his way to his kitchen and put on a pot of tea. He slid into one of his bar stools and flipped open the Daily Prophet, it was sure to have something about Potter or one of the Weasley's on the cover and a five-page story to go with it. No matter what they did they always made it into the paper. Since the war ended news hadn't been as riveting, which Draco was completely fine with, but Potter was already his boss, he could do without seeing him in the paper every day. Draco worked for the Auror department, he wasn't one himself, just assisted them when they needed it. He had a vast knowledge of dark objects and past death eaters. There were hardly any active today, but some were still in hiding, Draco helped as best he could to try and find them. The Auror's only came to him if they were really desperate, most of the time they just dumped files on his desk for him to transfer into the system, tedious work that they were to lazy to do themselves. Old Draco would have been furious being used and under-appreciated, but now he kept his head down and took whatever came at him. He thought that maybe if he let them berate and sneer at him, it'd make up for all the terrible and awful things he'd done at Hogwarts. He put down the paper and poured himself some tea into a mug, he drank it as quickly as he could after he glanced at the clock. He always liked to get to the ministry early to beat the crowds. When Draco first started crowds would surround him, spewing insults and threats. Now they just avoided him like the plague he is. He still preferred to enter work unseen. He grabbed a handful of powder and stepped into his fireplace calling out "Ministry of Magic", the fireplace roared to life and within a few seconds he was at work, ready to start the day.

Even though no one really talked to him, he liked to be kept busy, kept his mind off things.

"Malfoy" he heard his name called, he looked to see Potter standing in his office doorway, motioning for Draco to go to him. "

Fuck" he muttered under his breath.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch him walk to Potter's office, nosy fuckers, probably wishing he'd be fired. Draco couldn't recall doing anything wrong, but then again, they could easily fire him for his name alone. "Did I do something, Potter?" He said, he knew he should be addressing him as "sir" or something more formal but he just couldn't bring himself to do it, too much history, and Potter never complained. "No, actually you've been doing a phenomenal job, that's why I'm promoting you" his old nemesis smiled brightly, it severely annoyed Draco. "Promoting me?" Draco couldn't hide his confused expression. "Yeah, you've been doing double the work of every Auror I have and we could use you on the field, you'll start as my partner, I don't work too many cases currently so it'll be a slow start, Kingsley's requiring me to put you on sort of a probation period, your first month you have to pass some tests, stay out of trouble all that good stuff, but then you'll be an official Auror." Potter was smiling again, and it was really starting to piss Draco off. "Is this some kinds of joke, Potter? Because it's not very funny" He was trying to keep his composure. "No joke, I'm being serious, Draco, I'm promoting you, you've earned it" His smiles faded but he still had sincerity in his eyes. "I don't know what to say then" Draco mumbled, he was never good at saying thank you, or apologies. "No need to say anything, just take these next two days to relax and prepare for training" Potter shrugged, Draco nodded and stood to leave, "Malfoy, one more thing, you haven't heard from Hermione, have you?" He asked, Draco looked at him incredulously, why would he ask him, of all people, about Granger? "Um, no?" The blonde answered. "Right, just checking" he waved his hand, like he was trying to play it off as nothing. Damn, Potter was a terrible liar. Draco was about to close the door when he turned around and muttered a quick "Thanks, Potter" and shut the door before he could hear the reply. He was too preoccupied about his new promotion to give much thought about the Granger question, although it was odd considering Potter was her closest friend. By the time 5:00 rolled around, Draco was already packed up and ready to go, he wanted to get home to brush up on Auror research, he was determined not to mess this up. After having some leftovers and small glass of fire whiskey, Draco sat himself on his couch, surround by different types of books on Aurors. He decided to start with A History of Aurors, he flipped to the first page and barely made it through the first sentence when his doorbell rang. That was odd. Draco never had visitors, ever. Maybe it was a muggle who found their way through the magical barrier, they'd get confused and turn around soon enough. He was about to get back to reading when it rang again. This time he set down his book. The wards are set so that if a muggle did find their way to his door, as soon as they rang the doorbell they'd be struck with a bout of confusion and send them away. This couldn't be a muggle, so that meant it had to be a wizard. Draco grabbed his wand and headed for the door. He tried to look through the peephole, but saw nothing, they could be using an invisibility spell. "Fuck" he muttered. The doorbell rang again. "Here goes nothing" he sighed and swung the door open, wand at the ready. To say he was shocked was an understatement. Draco Malfoy was looking at a very beaten and bloodied Hermione Granger. "Please help me, I had nowhere else to go" She sucked in a deep breath before toppling over, right into Draco's house. "Fuck" he said again.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco barely had any time to process what was happening before scooping up Granger in his arms and rushing to the couch. He quickly pushed all his books out of the way and laid her down.

"Fuck, Granger, what happened to you?" He said frantically, accessing all her wounds. She had a deep gash on her leg, her right eye was swollen, and her nose was bleeding, she was also covered in bruises.

"Got into a disagreement with somebody" She said simply, as if were the most normal thing in the world, to be beaten to a pulp over a 'disagreement'.

"We need to get you to St. Mungo's" Draco ran a hand through his hair.

"NO" She yelled loudly, a surge of energy rushed over her. "No St. Mungo's, no one can know I'm here, promise me you won't take me there, promise me" She grasped his wrist tightly.

"What about Potter?" Surely her best friend could know she was here.

"I said no one, promise me, Draco, please" She said pleadingly.

Her speaking his name, his first name, really threw him off guard, so like an idiot he found himself agreeing.

"Fine, lay back, let me take a look at your leg first" He instructed her, she nodded, smiling softly. He could tell her energy had been used up from her little outburst, her eyelids fluttering close.

Draco quickly ran to his kitchen to grab some supplies, luckily for Granger he kept his healing potions stocked.

He started pouring some Dittany on her leg, it was deeper than he thought. He knew it was going to need to be stitched up, but he couldn't remember the spell to do it. Draco was good with healing magic, but not that good. He knew simple spells for simple cuts and bruises, not for a serious trauma like Granger. She was adamant about not being seen, but he needed back up.

"Tippy" He called out. Within a matter of seconds his old house elf appeared with a crack.

"Master Draco, good to see you, sir" The house elf smiled brightly.

"You to Tippy, more of that later, I need you help" He motioned towards Granger. The house elf's eyes went wide, and he scurried over to her.

"Be right back" The house elf disappeared and reappeared quicker than Draco could blink. He had a bundle of potions and other healing supplies with him, Draco recognized them from the Malfoy Manor's supply. The elf started on her leg, adding various things to it.

"This part might hurt, if she wakes, please hold her steady" The elf said somberly, he started to sew the wound shut, Granger woke with a scream and thrashed her arms, Draco did as he was told and tried to hold her steady. After only a minute, but what felt like a lifetime, Granger passed out again and the elf finished up. He attended to her other wounds, all small, and left Draco with a few potions to give her for the pain.

"Thank you Tippy, and please don't tell my mother, Granger didn't want anyone knowing she was here" Draco said to the elf.

"Yes, sir, you should visit her more, sir, she misses you" The little elf said, looking down at his feet, Draco knew how hard it must be for him to be so straightforward. Although the Malfoy family no longer owned any house elves, many stayed on. After the war had ended, Narcissa and Draco made the decision to free them, Narcissa paid them a galleon a month, that's all they would accept. She had tried to pay them more, but they didn't want it. Draco had always been closest with Tippy, he was his first real friend, of sorts. Until his father told him House Elves were not people and were beneath them. Draco never saw them that way, of course he never said it aloud, but he didn't.

"I will, Tippy, I promise" Draco nodded, pulling himself out of his reverie.

The house elf gave a bow before dissapparating with a loud crack.

He looked down at Granger, deep asleep from the events of the night. He muttered a weightless charm and picked her up, carrying her to one of his spare rooms. He did a scourgify on her clothes, but they were still dirty and a little torn. He pulled the white duvet over her body, she rustled slightly, but not waking fully.

He left the door open, worried something might happen to her and he wouldn't be able to hear if he closed the door.

He made his way back to the living room, where her blood covered the couch and various potions were laid across his coffee table. He sat in one of the armchairs, too tired to clean just yet.

This by far had been the weirdest night in a long time. Now that he had time to think, his mind raced with questions.

Like why was Hermione Granger showing up at his house in the middle of the bloody night, battered and broken?

Or why didn't she go to Potter or Weasley?

He knew that she had left right after the war to travel to other Wizarding Worlds, it had been in the Prophet for weeks. It was the same story and same pictures though, which he had always found odd. Maybe she wasn't really doing research like the Prophet had claimed but was getting into some sort of trouble. For some reason it was making Draco very unsettled, Granger was known for her brains, not being stupid.

He let out a sigh and decided it was time to clean up his living room, which looked like a literal war zone, he should know he had seen many in his young life. He repeatedly scourgified his couch, making sure all the blood was cleared and started to pack up all the different vials. Granger's wand was lying under the coffee table and he bent to pick it up. If he were Granger, he'd want his wand on him when he woke, so he went to the room she was in and set it on the side table next to her. She was still sound asleep in the same position he'd left her in.

She looked quite peaceful sleeping, he was jealous of her, wishing he could get a restful sleep.

He turned to leave the room when he heard his name called.

"Draco" It was such a soft whisper, he barely heard it, he turned to see Granger with her eyes open.

"You okay? Are you in pain? Does your leg hurt?" He asked her, walking back to the bed.

"Like a bitch" She laughed slightly, he gave her a confused look. "It hurts, but not that bad, I'm fine, thanks to you" She smiled.

"Thanks to my house elf, I couldn't do it all by myself, don't worry I swore him to secrecy" Draco assured her.

"Thank you" She said again, Draco didn't know how to respond so he just shrugged.

"Get some rest, Granger" He turned to leave again.

"They were right" She said sleepily.

"Who was right? About what?" He looked at her.

"About you, you are different" She pulled the blanket higher up over her and before Draco could ask her more, she was back asleep.

Add that to the list of things he had to ask her about when she was more conscious. So many mysteries were circling her right now, he hoped she'd answer them all.

As Draco finally laid down in his own bed, he was suddenly reminded of what happened earlier that day. He'd been promoted. Under the conditions that he stay out of trouble. He wasn't so sure hiding a wounded Hermione Granger constituted as staying out of trouble. If anyone found out about this they'd surely revoke his promotion, people would riot him all over again. His head was spinning, and his stomach was in knots. Maybe no one would find out about this. Maybe he could help Granger heal fast and send her on her way without anyone knowing.

Who was he kidding?

Draco Malfoy was fucked.


	3. Chapter 3

As usual, Draco did not get much sleep, even less than normal if that were possible. He got dressed quickly and peaked in on Granger, she was still fast asleep. He closed the door a bit, leaving it open only a crack, before heading to the kitchen. He made himself a cup of tea and drank it fast, pouring himself another cup.

All the questions that were keeping him up last night, were still racing around his mind this morning.

Maybe he should call Potter. It would be the right, and smart, thing to do. He specifically told Draco to stay out of trouble and this constituted as trouble. He desperately wanted this promotion and would do anything to keep it, but he also didn't want to betray Granger. He was in a predicament he wished he could just snap away. As if things weren't stressful enough for him, his bloody doorbell rang again, he needed to get rid of that.

Draco looked through the peephole and his heart nearly dropped to his stomach.

Potter was standing at his doorstep.

"Bloody hell" He paced in front of the door for a few seconds before collecting himself and tried to bring his heart rate down.

"Potter, what are you doing at my house?" He asked the chosen one, who smiled brightly when Draco opened the door.

"Good to see you too, Malfoy" He brushed passed Draco and let himself in.

It took everything in Draco not to start hyperventilating.

"Sorry, not used to visitors" He mumbled.

"Just messing with you, I just wanted to drop these files off actually, it's the case I'm currently working on, it's what you'll be working on with me, come Monday" He set the folder down on Draco's counter. "Look it over and get to know all the details, it's not a very big case, but it's the biggest one we have right now, which I suppose is a good thing" Potter shrugged. Draco knew he was craving some excitement, he'd been surrounded by battles and obstacles his whole life, it must be strange to live 'normally' for once.

"Right, I'll get right on it" Draco nodded.

"Great, well, if you have any questions just send an owl, it's just us working on this case, no one else can know about it, top secret and all that" If it were any other day Draco may have offered his old nemesis some tea, or attempted to be polite, but it was not any other day and he was currently harboring Hermione Granger in his spare room, he wanted Potter out as quickly as possible.

"Will do, thanks Potter" Draco smiled tightly at him, he started to walk him to the door.

"See you Monday then, Malfoy" Potter smiled.

"Right, see you" As soon as Potter's feet were out the door, Draco shut the door and locked it shut. He let out a sigh of relief.

He hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath. He turned around and leaned against the door, sliding down until he was sitting on his floor.

What was he doing? He was supposed to be a changed man now, not his old scheming schoolboy self. He had a real opportunity to prove himself to be something other than a coward death eater. If he blew this chance, he knew he wouldn't get another one. He had been lucky to get a job at all in the Ministry, let alone in the Auror department, and now he had a real shot and being an official Auror.

He should have just come clean to Potter and taken him to Granger. He should've. But he didn't.

Draco pulled himself together and off his floor and marched himself to where Granger was sleeping. He was going to tell her she had to leave, that she put him in a terrible position and that she had to go.

He opened the door and she was sitting up, she smiled when he walked in.

"Good morning" She said, sleep still in her voice.

"Oh, uh, morning" He suddenly lost his train of thought.

"Was that Harry I heard?" She asked him.

"Yeah, he was dropping off case files, I'm to be an Auror now" He had a plan of what he was going to say, and it went right out the window with one little smile.

"I'm sorry, to put you in this situation, I know you shouldn't be keeping secrets from him, but thank you" She said sincerely.

"Don't mention it" He mumbled. "Want tea?" He asked, and she smiled again, nodding at him.

"I put out some clothes for you, I know they probably won't fit, but I figured you'd want to change" He pointed to the chair where he left a shirt and a pair of sweatpants for her. "And if you want the shower is right through that door" He pointed across the room.

"Thank you, I'll just freshen up and meet you in the kitchen" He nodded and closed the door behind him, for some odd reason his palms were sweaty, he wiped them on his pants.

While Granger changed, he made a fresh pot of tea and some breakfast. He sat on the couch while he waited and closed his eyes for just a few moments, drifting off until he was asleep.

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. She looked absolutely dreadful. Her face was puffy, and her right eye was ten different shades of purple. Her hair was matted and tangled and looked like a rat's nest. She was scared to even look at her leg, she knew that they had stitched it up, she was sure it looked nasty. She slowly took off her shirt, wincing in pain as she did. Her ribs were covered in bruises and her arms had scrapes all over. She slowly took off her jeans, they had cut them at the knee on the left side, to tend to the huge laceration. She had a trail of dried blood running down her leg. She looked around at the bathroom, the walls were white, the floors a beautiful marble, the tub glistened in the sunlight. The countertops were perfect, not a spec of dirt on the them. The huge mirrors had no fingerprints or marks. Hermione looked like a monster in this pristine palace of a bathroom. She felt as if anything she touched would be immediately ruined.

She went to the shower turned the water on as hot as it would go and stepped in. She cupped her hand over her mouth and cried as hard as could, she had been holding that in for so long. She cried for the pain and for how she looked and for messing up so badly. She cried because she was embarrassed and broken.

She let her hand drop and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before cleaning herself off.

"Pull yourself together, Hermione" She said, scrubbing her body with Draco Malfoy's soap.

She turned the water off and grabbed one of the hanging white towels, it was like being wrapped in a cloud. She dried off and put her bra back on and Draco's shirt over. It was very loose, and it was a tad see through, she hoped her bruises weren't that noticeable. The sweatpants were also very loose on her, but she tied the string as tight as they would go. She looked herself over in the mirror, better than before, but still a sorry sight.

Hermione walked to the living room to find Draco fast asleep on the couch, his brows were furrowed, and he looked quite uncomfortable, like he was having a bad dream. She felt bad, but she felt solaced in the fact that he had nightmares too, she thought she was the only one who still had them. Harry had nightmares too, when they lived together she'd often help him through them, but then Ginny moved in and he had less and less. But she could not shake them, and it appeared Draco couldn't either. She wondered what his were about.

"Draco, do it now" He deranged aunt taunted. His whole arm was shaking, and the other Death Eaters were laughing at him. The kept laughing, he raised his wand and just as he was about to say the spell, Dumbledore changed before his eyes into his mother.

"Draco, please" She begged, she was crying and before Draco could stop, he had said the spell and green shot from his wand.

"NO" He yelled, waking himself up. He looked around to see that he was not at Hogwarts, but in his own home. His head snapped in the direction where Granger was standing, watching with curious eyes. How embarrassing, she had witnessed his little nightmare.

"Breakfast is ready" He stood up and hurried past her to the kitchen, she followed him and sat at one of the bar stools.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Fine, why wouldn't I be?" He shrugged, pouring her a cup of tea and one for himself.

"You had a bad dream; do you want to talk about?" She asked him, he almost spit out the tea he just sipped.

"No, Granger, I don't want talk about" He couldn't help but roll his eyes, he was not about to talk about his nightmares to Hermione bloody Granger.

"I get them too, if it makes you feel any better" She sipped the tea.

"It doesn't" He said, she shrugged, he handed her a plate with eggs and toast, the only breakfast foods he could make.

They ate in silence, although it wasn't really awkward, he kept glancing over at her. It was hard not to look at all her bruises and cuts, she looked pretty messed up.

When they both finished she pushed her plate away and turned to face him.

"Okay, I'm ready" She said.

"Ready for what, exactly?" He asked her, moderately confused.

"Any questions you have, I'll answer them to the best of my ability" She got up and went over the couch, pulling a blanket over lap and making herself comfy, Draco just stared at her. She patted the seat next to her.

"This has been the strangest two days of my life" He said under his breath and made his way to the couch.

It took him a minute to collect his thoughts, he had so many questions he didn't know what to ask first, she sat there patiently, looking at him with a curious look. She looked nervous, which he had never seen before, but she looked calm at the same time.

"Why didn't you go to Potter? Or Weasely?" He asked, she looked down at her hands.

"I was afraid you were going to ask that first" She sighed. It was either that or what the bloody hell happened to her, which he figured would be answered along with this question.

"It's kind of hard to explain, and may take a while, so bear with me" She fidgeted with the blanket in her hands.

"After the war, reporters and wizards trailed us to no end, everyone wanted to know everything that happened and in detail. Harry had been around that his whole life, so he was somewhat used to it, he knew how to ignore them, Ron had been in the shadows his whole life, craving attention, and he was finally getting it, so he was loving it, me on the other hand, was not handling it so well. The war itself had taken so much from me and I couldn't get any freedom" She shook her head. "I don't know if you remember this, but a few months after the battle, a reporter 'attacked me' and I fought back" She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, she was still looking down at her hands.

"Yeah, that was front page news for weeks" Draco nodded.

"He didn't actually attack me, I attacked him, he snapped a few pictures of me and something came over me and I attacked him, Harry had to pull so many strings for him to be quiet and for the story to be rewritten" Draco couldn't help his surprised look. "The look of disappointment on Harry's face was heartbreaking, the look of disgust on Ron's face was maddening. They didn't understand why I was acting out the way I was, I hardly did myself. After that, I sort of ran away. Kingsley provided me with some wizarding worlds I could visit and learn about, but I sort of strayed from that, everything got so complicated and messy, I got mixed up in something I shouldn't have" She put her face in her hands.

"Hey, take it from someone who is the epitome of getting mixed up in things he shouldn't, you can always get out of it" His left forearm ached in reminder.

"I can't, I know too much, I can't just leave it alone" She said quietly.

"Can't leave what alone?" He questioned. 

"I can't tell you, not yet, I'm sorry, you didn't have to take me in and you did, you could've told Harry I was here, but you didn't, I'm forever in your debt, Draco" She grabbed his hand, he looked down and she pulled away. "Sorry"

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything you don't want to" He smiled softly at her.

"I have another favor to ask you" She smiled weakly.

"Anything"

"Can I stay here for a while? Until I figure things out?" She looked at him, hope in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure, why not" He felt himself agreeing even though everything in him was telling him to tell her to leave.

"Thank you, Draco, thank you so much" She had tears in her eyes and before he could take it back, she was leaning over and pulled him in for a hug. For being weak, she held him tightly.

Any doubts he had about her staying melted away and Draco, for once in a very long time, felt reassured things might be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

At some point Draco had fallen asleep, he and Granger had been talking most of the night. Not about anything important in particular, just random thoughts that popped in their minds. It felt strange at first to be talking with her so casually, but after a while it just felt good. He couldn't even remember the last time he had an actual conversation with someone, not work related. She even laughed at a few things he had said, and it filled him with warmth he hadn't felt since he was a kid. Talking with her made him feel like just Draco. Not Draco ex-death eater, failure, coward, disgraced pureblood. His whole life he had to be things he didn't want to be, had to live up to his family name, but talking with her made it all melt away.

Draco stretched his arms out and looked around the room, he didn't see Granger anywhere. She must have gone back to sleep in the spare room, he got up and headed to kitchen.

"Granger?" She was sitting at one of the barstools, hunched over reading something, she didn't turn to face him, just kept reading.

"Granger, what are you- Draco started but didn't finish, he noticed what she was reading now.

The file that Potter dropped off and specifically said no one else could see. That's what she was reading, a few pages in it would seem. "Give me that" He snatched the folder away from her, she jumped back in surprise. "You weren't supposed to see that, can't you read? It says Confidential" He said, turning away from her.

"I didn't realize so many wizards were missing, I mean I knew about Dennis Creevey, but I didn't realize there were more?" Her nonchalant attitude was infuriating Draco, she invaded something private and was acting like it was nothing.

"Hermione, drop it, forget what you saw" He turned around, slamming the folder on the counter, she looked at him curiously, and then smiled softly.

"What? What are you smiling about? This isn't funny, this is serious, you weren't supposed to see any of that"

"You're right, I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself, but I did see, and I can't just forget what I saw" She shrugged. "And it looks like they've gotten nowhere for months, they have no idea where all these wizards went, it's as if they just fell off the face of the earth, and they only just figured out that these disappearances are related, they have no idea where they went or if someone's kidnapping wizards or what" She rambled on, she was already working on solving this case.

"Granger, please, I'm begging you to just drop this, I really don't want to lose my job before I even start" He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"I can't, Draco, I'm a part of this, this is why I was attacked, I think" She stood up and walked over to him. "I knew about Dennis because we worked together briefly at the Ministry, he was just as passionate about creature rights as I was so we promised to keep in touch with one another after I left, we wrote to each other and he always responded, a few months into my trip he stopped responding, so I started to look for him, I think I was getting close to finding out where he was because that's when I was attacked the first time and they warned me to stop, they wore masks but not like Death Eaters, I kept looking for answers and a few months later I was attacked again, worse this time as you know"

"Granger-

"Draco, I can help, let me help" She pleaded, there was a defiance in her eyes that he remembered from Hogwarts, her face said that she wasn't going to let this go.

"We don't even know if your attack and this is related" He said, although he didn't sound very convinced.

"We do, you know it is, somebody is capturing wizards for some reason and they don't want anyone to know about it" She shook her head. "And Harry really said it wasn't a big case? This is huge!" She started to ramble again.

"But no one has shown up dead or anything so it's not high priority, for all we know they could just be living their life somewhere"

"But all these wizards? There's over twenty missing, it wouldn't make sense for all of them to just up and leave their lives"

"Well, that's what we're trying to figure out I guess" Draco sighed, there was no way she was going to drop this. "No one can know about this, Granger"

"I won't tell anyone I promise, it's not like I talk to anyone anyways, besides you" She smiled.

"Right, well, um, I'll go make us some lunch" Draco was unsure how he felt about her little displays of, affection? Friendship? He didn't really know what to call it, but she kept smiling at him and it made him uncomfortable. He turned back to the kitchen and tried to push everything out of his mind. He was stressed, about everything. He didn't want to let Potter down and wanted to prove himself worthy of being an Auror, but he also didn't want to let Hermione down and help her, and it seemed like she could probably help him too. From the looks of it she was just as messed up as he was, maybe they could be messed up together.

Who was he kidding? There was no way she would want him, she just needed his help and then she'd be on her way. She's Hermione Granger, war heroine, one part of the Golden Trio, brightest witch of her age. Draco Malfoy was a stain in the wizarding world, an outcast. Everyone knew to avoid him, they knew he wasn't worth anyone's time, so why would she think any different?

"You okay in there?" He heard from behind, he turned to see Hermione watching him curiously. He hadn't realized he had zoned out, but he was just standing there, bread in his hands, not moving.

"Yeah, I'm fine" He shook his head, getting back to making the sandwiches.

"Draco?" He could hear her moving closer. "I promise, I won't tell anyone, I don't want you losing your fancy new Auror job" She joked, he didn't smile. "Draco, I really do appreciate your help, I know it's not easy, you could have easily just shut that door in my face and avoided this whole mess"

"I couldn't have" He said quietly, looking down at his feet.

"Draco?" She said softly, he finally looked up at her and she was looking at him with a look he'd never seen, she took a step closer and he felt his heart leap, he stepped closer to her and just as they both started to lean in, the fucking doorbell rings.

"Bloody hell" He muttered, and Granger started giggling.

"I better go hide, it could be Harry again" She whispered, smiling, Draco nodded and went to the door as she ran the opposite way.

He stood in front of the door, realizing that he was just about to kiss Hermione Granger, and that she was about to kiss him back. He was going to strangle Harry Potter, he was going to hex him to pieces.

"Potter?" He opened the door, the Golden boy stood there smiling.

"Draco, sorry to drop by unannounced" He step through the door.

"Please do come in" Draco grumbled. Potter looked around the house, heading towards the kitchen, he noticed the sandwiches on the table.

"Mind if I grab one? I'm starving, haven't ate since yesterday" He asked, already reaching for one. "Look over the files?" He asked, taking a huge bite.

"Yeah, still going through them, though" Draco watched the golden boy scarf down the food, he looked a little worse for wear. His hair was messier than usual, and his clothes wrinkled, as if he hadn't been home in the past two days, come to think of it, he was pretty sure those were the same clothes from the other day when he stopped by.

"Good, we'll go over everything in detail together, Terry Boot has been working on this case with me, so he'll be working with us" It looked like Potter had something else he wanted to say, but he was holding back.

"Was there something else, Potter?" Draco asked.

"No, I think that's it, we'll talk more Monday, owl me with any questions" He smiled and headed for the door.

"See you in a few days, Potter"

"See you" The other boy nodded back, Draco watched him walk down the steps before apparating away.

It was odd for him to just stop by like that, he could have easily just sent an owl. Something definitely seemed off with the chosen one, and he had feeling it had to do with Hermione. She had said she hadn't talked to him in months, he must be out of his mind with worry about her. He knew the Weasel was traipsing his way through the women of Europe, so it must be hard not to have either of his closest friends by his side.

"He's gone, Granger" Draco called out, she came out from her room, smiling softly. He felt like he should tell her about Potter not looking so good, but he knew it would upset her and he didn't want to see her upset. He knew he had to, just not yet. "He ate your sandwich"

"Typical Harry" She laughed.

"We could grab lunch at the Leaky? I have some errands to run anyways" He said.

"I don't want to go back into the Wizarding world just yet, why don't we go into Muggle London, I know some great places, and I could use some of my own clothes" She motioned down at her oversized sweats.

"I've never been to Muggle London" He shook his head.

"Draco, you live in a Muggle neighborhood" She crossed her arms.

"Yes, but I've never interacted with them, and I don't go walking around town either, I just live here"

"It'll be fun, I promise" She waved her wand at herself and transfigured her clothes to look more presentable.

"I'm not going" He said stubbornly.

"You're going to make me go by myself?" She said in a small voice, she was trying to guilt him into going. And it was working.

"Fine" He rolled his eyes, she smiled devilishly, and Draco found himself walking out his door, with Hermione Granger, to go to Muggle London. If only the Slytherins could see him now. If someone told Draco three years ago that he would be working for Harry Potter and rescuing Hermione Granger, going to Muggle London with her, and almost kissing her, he wouldn't have believed it in a million years, yet here he was.

Hermione knew of a spot that they could apparate to, undetected, so they did and walked along the streets for a bit. Draco didn't know what he was expecting, but this wasn't it. He obviously knew muggles weren't that different from him, he had a lot less prejudice towards them, but he still thought wizards were superior. As he walked through a sea of muggles, he really didn't see how wizards thought they were better. Muggles definitely dressed better, they had somewhat of the same things as wizards did, they can't apparate, but they have those, cars they get around in. They adapted to their surrounds and made incredible things, wizards have magic, but without it, most wizarding families would never survive out here, the Malfoys sure as hell wouldn't.

Draco looked over at Hermione, she wasn't staring at everything like Draco was. She was comfortable here, she looked relaxed and happy. He looked around again and suddenly his anxiety started to drift away. He realized, that no one out here would recognize him, they wouldn't turn their noses up in disgusts at him or glare at him, he was a stranger, a nobody. He had no idea why he hadn't started going into the muggle world sooner.

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione was looking at him, smiling.

"I think I like Muggle London" He said, her smiled widened. "You ever tell anyone that I will deny it to my last breath" He rolled his eyes at her, making her laugh.

"It's nice to get away from people who know everything about you, isn't it?" She said, he didn't answer, but silently agreed, and she knew he did.

They spent the day walking aimlessly around and it was actually a lot of fun, more fun than Draco had ever had. They grabbed lunch from a small restaurant, got Hermione clothes (that she tried to pay for, but Draco wouldn't let her), some grocery's, and even stopped for ice cream on their way back to their apparating spot. It was a good day, Draco hadn't had many good days in a long time.

"Draco?"

"Hm" He turned to face Hermione, she drew in a deep breath and took a step closer to him, eliminating any space between them, she grabbed his face in her hands and planted her lips on his. He was caught off guard, to say the least, but kissed her back, his heart fluttering. She smelled faintly of his shampoo, her hands were soft, and made their way to the nape of his neck, gently pulling him closer. He placed his hands around her waist, and he could feel her smile against his lips.

In that moment he didn't have a care in the world, it was as if it were only the two of them. He could have stood there forever, with Hermione wrapped in his arms. She slowly pulled away, her eyes opening, she still had a smile on her face.

"I definitely like Muggle London" He said to her and she let out a laugh, and Draco found himself laughing along with her. She grabbed his hand and held it the rest of the way home. He was never one for displays of affection, no slytherins ever were, and no one is his family was either, so it was odd to be holding hands, it felt a little cliché, but it also felt right.

He felt happy for once, and he was going to do everything in his power to hold on to this happiness, to hold on to her.


	5. Chapter 5

As the weekend came to an end, Draco knew he had to get back to reality. It was fun and amazing to live in this little bubble with Hermione, but they couldn't stay in it forever. He knew she wasn't ready to make an appearance back in the wizarding world, but he had to.

Bright and early tomorrow morning he would be reporting to Potter to go over this case. He had tried to work on it, with Hermione's help of course, but they hadn't really gotten anywhere. Wherever all these wizards disappeared to, or whoever kidnapped them, left no traces. It was maddening trying to solve this, and he knew Hermione was even more annoyed with the lack of progress than he was. There was something about this case that she was obsessing over, it was more than just trying to find the Creevey kid too, something else was driving her to solve this.

As Draco prepared dinner for the two of them, an owl dropped off a letter. He went to the window and grabbed the envelope from its grip, the bird flew off as he opened it.

_Draco, _

_I will be at the Ministry early, at 6am_

_I may have some new information_

_See you tomorrow_

_Harry_

It was a very short letter, and Potter wasn't necessarily asking him to be there that early, but the way he worded it made it sound like he did want Draco to be there that early with him. He didn't get why he didn't just ask straightforward for Draco to come, Gryffindors were so bloody confusing. With all these little visits from him and now sending him letters, he really felt like he should talk to Hermione about him. He still wasn't exactly sure why she was still hiding from him and not telling her closest friend she was back.

"Who's that from?" She said from behind him, he hadn't even heard her enter the kitchen.

"Just Potter, he wants me at the Ministry early, he said he might have some new information"

"Oh, well that's good I suppose" She frowned.

"You could come with, you know? Potter would definitely not object to have you helping on this case" He said, she scrunched her face up and shook her head.

"No, definitely not, I can't go to the Ministry, at least not yet, and I can't face him, just tell me everything when you get home" She was drumming her fingers against her leg and he knew that this topic was making her anxious.

"Of course" He nodded, he didn't want to push her, she had to face this, but only when she was ready. "Will you be okay though, by yourself tomorrow?"

"I'll be fine" She smiled. "I've been on my own for months and I was practically being hunted, I can survive in a nice, warm house for a few hours" She laughed, he smiled at her.

He dropped the subject and didn't bring it up again. They spent the rest of the evening talking, reading, looking over the case, more talking.

They were sitting on the couch, he could see Hermione trying to hide her yawns, he felt tired himself, but knew he probably wouldn't fall asleep for hours.

"I should try to get sleep, big day tomorrow" He told her, she nodded at him.

"You should"

"You're not going to bed?" He asked as he stood.

"No, I'm going to stay up just a bit longer"

"Okay, well, goodnight then, Granger"

"Goodnight, Draco" She smiled, he walked to his room and laid down in his bed, clothes still on, thinking about what the day would bring tomorrow.

He sometimes wished he could shut his brain off, he wished there was a spell or potion that would just make his mind go blank, so he could more than a few hours' worth of rest. No matter how many sleeping potions he took, he still had nightmares and he still would wake up, his anxiety not letting him fall back asleep. It had been the worst right after the war, he'd wake and for a few moments think that the war was still going on, that Lord Voldemort was still using Draco's childhood home as his own personal headquarters. They had gotten slightly better when he moved out. His mother had been very upset about it, which made him feel guilty to his core, but he had to. He couldn't bear to live there anymore, he didn't see it as his home, he saw it as a constant reminder of the side his family had chosen, the wrong side. He didn't see the dining room as a place where they had so many Christmas dinners, eating his favorite desserts, he saw a professor from his school get murdered and served to Nagini. Too many bad memories were riddled throughout the Manor, his mother had tried to renovate every room, but that didn't change what happened there. He did feel bad for not visiting her more, he really hadn't meant to neglect her so much, it was just hard. She pretended that the war hadn't happened, that the Malfoy name was still dignified, that they hadn't been on the wrong side. That's what was really hard about seeing her. Draco had wanted to change, and he had, but she refused to. She was furious when she found out he was working in the Ministry, let alone being the "Auror's personal assistant", as she had put it.

"_Honestly, Draco, it's an embarrassment to the Malfoy name, you're not even to be an actual Auror" She had fumed at him._

"_I'm lucky they even let me have a job in the Ministry at all, Mother, I really want this" He tried to explain to her how important it was to him._

"_This is not what Malfoy men do, they take care of the finances, they don't work in the Ministry, what would your father say if he were here?" She shook her head._

"_Well, he's not here is he, he made piss-poor decisions for himself and this family, look where it got him, kissed by a dementor" He seethed, he barely got out the last sentence before the back of her hand was across his face, her ring had scraped his lip, he could taste blood. _

_For a moment they had just looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak. She looked surprised with herself._

"_That was always more father's style, he managed to never look guilty after" He said quietly, he saw a tear roll down her cheek as he walked to the floo._

"_Draco, wait" She called out, he kept walking. "Please" She begged._

_He stepped into the grand fireplace, "Ministry of Magic" He said, looking her dead in the eyes, _

The look of hurt in his mother's eyes still haunted him to this day, it had not been one of his best moments, but he had been furious. He knew she wouldn't change overnight, but it still was hard not to have his mother's support.

He tossed and turned some more before finally sleep claimed him, his thoughts finally giving him a break.

When Draco woke, he was drenched in sweat and it was still dark out. As soon as his eyes opened, he had forgotten his nightmare, which was probably a good thing. He looked at the clock and saw that it was four in the morning. He let out an irritated sigh, deciding to just shower and head to the Ministry, he knew he wasn't getting any more sleep and he didn't feel like sitting around for another two hours.

He thought about letting Granger know he was leaving but decided against it. It seemed a little to, personal? She knew where he'd be if she needed him, and like she said, she'd be fine.

Within the hour, he was stepping through his fireplace and walking into the Ministry. It was empty, which Draco had expected, no one ever came this early. He still hurried to the Auror Departments, wanting to get started on this case right away. He headed to the conference room Potter said they'd be meeting in, he opened the door to a darkened room and flicked his wand to turn the lights on.

"Draco?"

"Bloody hell" He yelled out, he looked around and saw Potter, on the couch in the corner. "Fuck, Potter, what are you doing here?" He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you" He chuckled, shrugging his thin blanket off of him.

"You didn't answer my question, what are you doing here? Were you sleeping here?" He could see a small bag shoved behind the couch, how many nights had he slept here?

"Yeah, I, um, was working late on the case, figure it'd be easier just to spend the night" He shifted uncomfortably. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Couldn't sleep" Draco shrugged, Potter just nodded. "Shall we start?" Draco offered, wanting to get out of this awkward state.

"Sounds like a brilliant idea" Potter hurried to grab all the files and materials they would need.

About three hours later, Terry Boot had arrived, slightly surprised, if not annoyed, to see Draco already there. He rarely acknowledged that Draco was even in the room, he'd purposely look into his little folder whenever Draco had something to say. Potter either pretended not to notice, or just didn't care. When lunch time rolled around, Boot had opted to leave, while Draco and Potter stayed to work, they had ordered up some food, but neither boy touched much of it. A few hours after that, Boot looked at the clock, and announced it was time to go home. Potter thanked him for his hard work, even though the lazy bloke hadn't really done anything, and it was just the two of them again.

"I think I'm going to stay a little longer" Potter said.

"I'll stay too"

"No, you don't have to do that, you've worked so hard, go home, Malfoy" Potter smiled.

"Is everything okay, Potter?" Draco closed the files he had been looking at, he wasn't one for heart to hearts or sharing feelings, but it looked like Potter could use it.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" He looked down at his hands.

"Potter, you're sleeping at work, if sleeping at all, you're always all fidgety, and you're distracted, something is obviously up" Draco leaned back in his chair, Potter still wouldn't look at him.

"I'm fine"

"I know we've never been mates, but you can talk to me, I'm in no position to judge, ever" Draco pushed away from the table to stand, he grabbed his things and started to leave.

"Malfoy, wait" He heard the other boy sigh, he turned to see Potter had taken off his glasses, he was rubbing his eyes.

"Ginny kicked me out"

"She did?" He couldn't believe the Weaselette would do that, she had been so infatuated with Potter throughout Hogwarts.

"Yeah, we had a huge fight last week, so she kicked me out, said she needed some space" He sank in his chair. "Ron's still, well, Ron, he's god knows where, with god knows who, and Hermione still won't answer me" Potter finally looked at him, and he looked broken, completely broken. "I don't even know what I did, I mean I know she was having a hard time with everything, and I should've been there for her more, it was just hard with the new job and Ginny" He shook his head.

"She'll come around" Draco said quietly, Hermione was not a subject he wanted to stay on.

"I hope so, I've been writing to her for months, all I've gotten is 'I'm fine', that's it, nothing about where she is or what she's doing, Kingsley said she hasn't even been doing the research she had started, I'm so worried about her"

"Potter, she's okay" Draco told him

"You don't know that, for all we know she could be on this list" He pointed at the papers in front of them.

"She's not, she's okay, I promise you, I can't tell you how I know, but I do, and she's okay" It was Draco's turn to look down at his hands. He knew that if he looked Potter in the eyes he'd blurt out everything.

"You've seen her, haven't you?" Draco just nodded his head but said nothing, Potter didn't ask any more questions. "If you see her again, please tell her I miss her, and that I'm really, really sorry" He said softly.

"I will, I promise" Draco nodded.

"Thanks, for everything, Draco" Potter sighed. "Now go home, really"

"She misses you too, Potter" Draco said in the doorway, he closed the door behind him and headed for the floo.

He really didn't feel like facing Granger, he knew he had to tell her about Potter, whether she liked it or not.

When he stepped through his fireplace, Granger was fast asleep on the couch, book almost falling out of her hands. Typical.

"Granger" He shook her softly, her eyes fluttered open, red and puffy as if she'd been crying.

"Draco?" She sat up. "Where have you been?" She asked groggily.

"Stayed late at work with Potter" He said, and she stiffened slightly.

"Anything new?"

"No, not really" He went to the kitchen and poured himself a small glass of firewhiskey, Granger stayed on the couch. "Fuck" He muttered under his breath and brought the bottle with him back to where Granger was sitting. "We need to talk about Potter"

"I don't want to" She rolled her eyes at him.

"I don't care, he's messed up Granger, he's heartbroken that you're gone and won't answer him, he really misses you, he needs you" Draco let out in one breath.

"He has Ginny, he'll be fine, and I've told him I'm okay" She waved her hands at him, trying to get off the subject.

"Actually, he doesn't, she kicked him out and he's been living at the Ministry, and I hardly think 'I'm fine' once every few months counts as telling someone you're okay" He took another swig of firewhiskey, he needed more confidence if he was to get through this conversation.

"Ginny kicked him out? Why on earth would she do that?" Hermione wondered aloud.

"You'd bloody know if you talked to him" Draco practically shouted. "He's your best mate and you've ignored him for months" Draco expected her to fight back with a witty response, but instead she put her face in her hands and her shoulders started to shake. "Are you crying?" He asked dumbly.

"NO" She half yelled half cried at him, burying her face deeper into her hands.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you" He sat on the couch next to her. He was very lost on what to do, he never knew how to comfort a crying person. He remembered Pansy would cry in front of him and would always just sit there and pat her back, it never made her stop crying.

"You're right, I've been a horrible friend, I should've told him what was going on and where I was, at first I felt guilty, but then it felt good to be so free, which only made me feel guiltier" She sniffled. "My whole life I've always had to take care of everyone else, had to be the smartest witch in the room, the one with all the answers, it felt so good to just be Hermione minus any responsibilities"

"I know the feeling"

"I knew that when I answered him, I'd go right back to being the Hermione everyone needed, and I wanted to be free Hermione for just a bit longer" She wiped at her eyes.

"You can still be 'free Hermione', you get to choose who you want to be, it doesn't mean you have to alienate yourself from the world, from your friends"

"You're right, I'm sorry, this is so embarrassing I swear I'm not usually a crier" She tried to laugh.

"Don't apologize for showing emotion, Hermione" She smiled up at him.

"Can I get a sip of that" She pointed at the firewhiskey bottle, he raised his eyebrows at her and handed it over. She took a long sip and handed it back.

They sat in silence for a while, passing the bottle back and forth. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Hermione started to hiccup, he looked over at her and she giggled. Was she drunk already?

"Damn, you're a lightweight, Granger" He said to her, he suddenly felt tipsier than he thought he was, had he eaten anything today?

"I know" She giggled some more. "Can I tell you something?" She scooted closer to him, sitting cross legged.

"Sure"

"I was scared, when you didn't come home on time, I panicked" She grabbed the bottle from his hands and took another drink.

"Why?" He took the bottle back from her.

"Because, it reminded me of when Ron left, we had been on the run and he left Harry and I, it reminded me of when Harry left to go to the forest and he came back dead, well partly dead" She scooted even closer to him.

"I'd never leave you, Granger" He told her.

"Hermione, I like hearing you call me Hermione"

"I'd never leave you, Hermione" He corrected, she leaned in closer to him, so that their faces were only inches apart.

"I'd never leave you, Draco" She whispered, and he eliminated the space between them, crashing his lips to hers. They were both more intoxicated than they realized, she elbowed him in the ribs trying to climb into his lap, he knocked over the empty bottle. They were also too drunk to hear that the fireplace had roared to life, letting a wizard through. They didn't hear the footsteps walking into the living room, where they were hungrily grasping at each other.

"Ahem" They heard, Hermione screamed.

They both turned to see Harry Potter standing in the entryway, cheeks bright red.

"I can come back" He said awkwardly, Hermione put her hands to her face, and once again, Draco was thinking how he was going to kill the Boy who Lived.


	6. Chapter 6

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Draco finally broke the tension.

"I'm going to go make some tea" He mumbled, Hermione gave him a flash of annoyance, as if to say, 'don't leave me alone with him', but Draco pretended not to see it. They needed to talk it out, just the two of them.

Hermione took a deep breath, preparing herself for the scolding of her life. She could see it in Harry's eyes how upset he was. He was never good at hiding his emotions, it was always written all over his face.

"What the hell, Hermione? I've been trying to reach you for months, worried sick about you, and you've been here? Hiding at Draco Malfoy's house?" Harry was trying to keep his cool but was failing miserably.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I really am, I sent you letters, though, you can't be that mad" Hermione said quietly.

"Sent me letters? I hardly think 'I'm fine, H', once out of the entire year you were gone, counts as sending letters, for all I know that could have been from anybody. If you were mad at me you could have just said so, I could have fixed things" Harry fumed, Hermione flinched at his outburst, even though she was expecting it.

"Of course I wasn't mad at you, Harry, I could never be mad at you" Her voice cracked, she was on the verge of crying and she cursed herself silently for it. No matter how hard she tried not to, she would always cry during a fight.

"Then what, Hermione? Where the hell have you been?" He yelled at her.

"Travelling, exploring, everything and nothing, I needed to find myself again, Harry, I needed to be Hermione minus Harry and Ron for once" She half yelled half cried at him. "I know I should've have written to you, actually written to you, I felt really guilty and each time I tried to write to you it made me feel worse about myself, so I didn't, and I am so sorry, Harry" She cried, hot tears rolling down her cheeks, Harry's face immediately softened and sat down on the couch next to her, pulling her close.

She hadn't realized how much she had missed her best friend. Harry and she had always been closest, maybe it was all the time they spent alone, on the run, but they had always had an unbreakable bond.

"Hey, it's okay, I know what you mean, sometimes I wish I could be Harry Potter, minus Harry Potter" He laughed. "I was just really worried about you, if anyone deserved a break from the world, it's definitely you" He smiled at her, she cried harder into his arm.

"I really missed you, Harry, I'm sorry" She sniffled.

"I missed you, Hermione" He squeezed her closer.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, taking comfort in each-others presence. Hermione finally stopped crying, she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve.

"So, Malfoy?" Harry smiled at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Shut up, Harry" She laughed, punching his shoulder.

"How long have you been staying here?" He asked her.

"Just a few days, maybe a week? I kind of lost track of time, and don't blame him for not saying anything, I sort of forced him to keep it a secret that I was back" Harry smiled at her.

"Now that I can believe" He laughed.

They sat and talked for a little bit longer. Harry told her how Ginny had kicked him out of their place. Even though Grimmauld Place was technically Harry's, he offered to leave and give her space. He had told her he was going to stay with a friend from work, but it was easier to just stay at work. They knew Molly would make a huge fuss if Ginny came back home, and neither of them wanted to deal with Molly Weasley's wrath. It always amazed Hermione how selfless Harry was, he put everyone before himself, no matter what. Hermione gathered up the courage to ask about Ron. He had just returned home, though Harry said he was ignoring him, knowing Ron it was for some insanely stupid reason. They reminisced about the past, the good and the bad times, and laughed about their messed-up childhood.

Hermione could feel her eyes getting heavier, but she wasn't quite ready to go to bed yet. She looked up to see Harry half asleep, his glasses falling off his face. She smiled softly, grabbing a blanket from the edge of the couch, she set it on top of him. She pulled his glasses off and set them down on the table.

Draco was right, he looked all kinds of stressed and worried, even asleep he didn't look like himself. She leaned over and kissed the top of his head before flicking her wand, shutting off all the lights. She tiptoed down the hall and saw Draco's door open a crack. She knocked softly before opening the door and walking in.

"Harry fell asleep on your couch" She said, he looked up from the book he was reading, he was still in his clothes.

"What's one more Gryffindor staying at my house" He shrugged, her heart warmed.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're going soft, Draco Malfoy" She smiled, he set his book down next to him.

"I am definitely not, take that back" He was trying to be serious, but Hermione started to giggle.

"I can't take back the truth" She laughed, she walked closer to his bed.

"Malfoy's are not 'soft'" He grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to him, she snaked her hands through his hair, towards the back of his neck.

"This one is" She smiled. "I quite like the new Draco" She whispered.

"Do you now?" He smiled back her, she nodded, leaning down to kiss him. It was a gentle kiss, she held onto him tightly, he flicked his wand to shut the door. He'd be damned if Potter ruined this again for him.

The next morning Draco woke to strands of brown curly hair tickling his face and the smell of lavender. Hermione was fast asleep next to him, sprawled out and taking up the whole bed. He carefully slid from under arm, careful not to wake her, and pulled the blankets over her.

He stole one more glance at her, before quietly shutting the door. He made his way to the kitchen to see Potter sitting at his table with a cup of tea.

"Oh, good you're up" he set down his cup. "We have to get to the Ministry, we might have another missing wizard"

"I'll go change" Draco nodded, he turned on his heels and went back to his room, Hermione was still fast asleep. He walked over to his closet and shut the door behind him, changing quickly. When he opened the door, Hermione was awake and sitting up, stretching her arms out with a big yawn.

"Morning" he smiled at her, pulling on his wizard robe.

"You're leaving? What time is it?" She frowned.

"There might be another missing wizard, Potter and I have to get to the Ministry"

"Really? Who?" She asked him.

"Not sure yet, I'll fill you in tonight, I'm not sure when I'll be back, will you be alright?" He grabbed his wand from the bedside table, he was already heading for the door.

"Yes, I have some errands to run anyways" She waved her hand at him, he nodded.

"See you later, then" He shut the door behind him before she could even answer.

"Yes, see you later" She mumbled, she couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard the floo roar to life, they had left. She was alone and feeling slightly pathetic. It's not Draco's fault that he still has a life, a job that he cares about. Their few days of having no responsibility had been nice, but that couldn't last forever, and she knew that, it still made her feel

She needed to get out of the house, she couldn't sit around doing nothing. She took a quick shower in Draco's bathroom, and got dressed.

She walked to the floo, "Diagon Alley" she said, a few seconds later she stepped out, her feet carrying her to a shop she didn't think she'd ever go back to.

She reached her desired destination only for it to be closed, maybe it was sign, she wasn't meant to be here

"This is stupid" She muttered to herself, she turned around, only to run into a tall red-head.

"Hermione?" George caught her arm before she could fall backwards.

"George, hi" She said, flustered.

"I hadn't realized you were back" He pulled her in for a hug, she hugged him back tightly. "Come on in, Ron's already here if that's why you're here, he sleeps above the shop, he got back from his travels a couple weeks ago, though he hasn't told anyone either, not even our mum" George laughed, he unlocked the doors and they were walking in. He was rambling, and Hermione wasn't even really listening, her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to burst out of her chest.

The last time she had seen Ron hadn't been pleasant. The way she ended things had been abrupt, but she knew they weren't meant for each other, and so did he, he just didn't want to admit it.

"I'll go grab him, wait here" George told her, she nodded and walked around, looking at all the pranks and tricks.

"Mione?" She heard from behind, she turned to see Ron standing, staring at her with a blank expression. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but that wasn't exactly it.

"Ron, hi, how are you?" She rushed out.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure to be honest" She admitted, and it was true. She really had no idea what she was doing here. Ron had been furious when she left, had said nasty things to her, she had told herself she wouldn't talk to him ever again unless he apologized. After having that heart to heart with Harry, it changed her feelings. She did miss Ron, as a friend, they were best friends for her whole childhood, that doesn't just go away.

"When did you get back?" He asked, he still hadn't moved from his spot.

"About a week ago, I saw Harry yesterday" When she said his name Ron stiffened.

"Course you did, you two were always closer" He mumbled.

"We should go out for drinks, the three of us, like old times" She smiled, she was choosing to ignore his attitude.

"I don't think so" He shook his head.

"Well, why not? It'll be fun, I've missed you both"

"Oh, have you now? Didn't seem like you'd miss you when you left, from what I remember you couldn't wait to leave, and Harry's got his head up his arse like always" He said angrily, Hermione could feel her blood starting to boil, but she was trying her hardest to keep her calm.

"I told you I needed some time alone, I wanted to travel, that doesn't mean I didn't miss you guys, and Harry said you've been ignoring him" She grit out.

"You wanted to be alone? That's grand, 'Mione, of course you didn't care how anyone else felt about you leaving, everything's always about you, or Harry, did he also tell you he refused to let me into the Auror departments? But he gave the job to fucking Malfoy, that bloody Death Eater ferret" His voice was rising, Hermione could hear George shuffling around in the back, probably to make sure things didn't get too out of hand.

"Nothing is ever about me, Ronald, it was always about you and your fragile ego, I wanted to do something for myself for once in my fucking life, merlin I forgot how daft you could be" She laughed.

"That's right, go on and act like you're better than me, but you're not, Hermione, you're just as insecure as you were at Hogwarts, always needing everyone else approval, I forgot how insufferable you could be" He seethed out. "You are- she didn't let him finish, she yelled out a hex, waving her wand angrily at him, it sent him flying backwards into a shelf, knocking it down.

George came running out, he looked from Hermione to Ron, he bent down to help his brother up, Ron pushed him away, wand drawn.

"Ron- George yelled, but he was already firing a spell back at Hermione, she wasn't expecting him to retaliate, the spell spun her backwards, causing her to hit her head on another shelf. She felt blood drip from her eyebrow. 

"Fuck you, Ron" She wiped her blood with the back of hand, she ran out the doors. Her vision was getting blurry with tears, everyone stared at her, whispering. She quickly apparated away, not wanting to stick around long enough for them to realize that it was in fact Hermione Granger, bloodied and crying.

She hadn't had any particular place in mind, but Grimmauld place was the first thing she thought of.

She stood in front of Harry's home, praying that Ginny was there.


	7. Chapter 7

Draco was anxious. He was anxious ninety percent of the time, but he was more anxious than usual. Another missing wizard could mean more clues, it could give them an actual lead in this case. He and Potter sat down in a conference room, sitting next to each other, going over the file before the witness came in. Draco couldn't stop tapping his fingers against the table or shaking his foot. He noticed Potter glance over at him and he stopped for about two seconds before starting up again.

There was a knock at the door, both boys looked up.

"Come on in" Potter spoke.

The door opened slowly, Potter's assistant ushered in Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff from their year. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she'd been crying for hours, maybe even days. She held onto her tissue tightly, pulling out a chair and sitting across Draco and Harry. She didn't make eye contact with Draco, which should have stung but he understood. Her best friend had gone missing and it was hard to stare at someone who had been on the wrong side of a war that happened not too long ago. He was grateful she hadn't asked for him to leave, he sure wouldn't have blamed her.

"Hannah, thank you for coming in" Potter cleared his throat, she just looked at him.

"You have to find her, please" She sniffled.

"We're going to do everything we can to get Susan back" He nodded at her. "But first we need all the details" It was her turn to nod at the Golden Boy. She took a deep breath before telling her story, or Susan Bones'.

She told them how they talked every day, at the same exact time. It seems the war had taken its toll on everybody. Susan had just started helping Hannah at the Three Broomsticks, working a few waitressing shifts. A few mornings past, Susan didn't answer Abbott, so she went to Susan's flat to check on her friend.

"It was like she just disappeared, the tea kettle was hissing away, her cat was pacing in the kitchen, the prophet on the counter, opened to the third page, she wouldn't have left things like that, she would have told me" Hannah cried, Harry conjured another tissue and handed it over to her.

"We're going to find her, Hannah, I promise" Harry took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"If you think of anything else, please let us know" Draco said, she nodded curtly at him and stood to leave. She closed the door quietly behind her, leaving the two boys to sit and take it all the information they had given her.

The Auror's they had sent to Susan Bones' flat came back with nothing, there was no forced entry, no magic used, it was as if she had just left, simply apparated away. There was no trace of anything.

"We should do one more sweep of her apartment, just the two of us, in case they missed something" Potter said to him, Draco nodded in agreement, but they both knew they were unlikely to find anything.

They kept going over Hannah Abbott's notes in silence. When suddenly Potter's assistant came bustling in, "Mr. Potter, sorry to disturb you"

"Quite alright, we just finished up, what is it, Beatrice?" He shuffled his papers back into the file.

"It's Ms. Weasley, said it's urgent you return home, a distraught Hermione Granger came to her door" She said quietly, as if she was trying not to let Draco hear.

"Thank you, Beatrice, let everyone know I'll be out for the day, Draco too" She looked at Draco and gave him a suspicious look, but nodded and left them alone.

"What do you think happened?" Draco asked, they packed up their things quickly and headed for the floo. His mind was racing with worry and fear. He had left in such a hurry this morning he hadn't even asked where she was going, he should've asked her.

"I don't know" He said, worry etched all over his face. They didn't talk the rest of the walk to floo, both too riddled with panic.

Within minutes they found themselves in Harry's living room. If it had been any other situation, Draco might have looked around, taken in the details of Grimmauld Place, a piece of his mother's family's history. His eyes searched for Granger instead, the red headed Weasely came into the room, she looked from Harry to Draco, both with equal looks of disgust.

"She's in the kitchen, I finally got her to stop crying" the Weaselette said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What happened?" Draco asked her, she gave him a pointed look.

"She went to see Ron, and well, it didn't go so well"

"What did the Weasel do? I swear I'll bloody hex him to pieces" Draco grit out, any anxiety he had was quickly being replaced with anger.

"Hey, I'm not condoning what he did to her, but he's _my_ brother, so if anyone is going to be hexing him it'll be me, and I'll be sure to do a sufficient job, I promise you that, I'll make him regret it" She raised an eyebrow, Draco forgot how scary the Weaselette could be.

Potter hadn't stopped staring at her the whole time they'd been there, while she was looking anywhere but at him.

"I'm going to go see her, you two, don't hex each other" Draco mumbled, pushing through the doors into the kitchen. He saw her huddled on one of the benches at the table, it was almost picturesque. Her curls were draped around her face, she had her knees tucked to her chest. The bench was battered and worn down, an accurate representation of how Hermione was feeling, Draco assumed. The tea next to her was still steaming but looked untouched.

He slid into the bench with her, she didn't even make a movement, not acknowledging there was another person next to her.

"Granger" He whispered, he slowly moved her hair out of her face, she finally looked up at him. "Your eye" he ran his finger over her cut above her eyebrow. "I'm going to fucking kill that Weasel"

"Stop, it's not worth it, and I think I did enough damage to him" She smiled sadly at him, it broke Draco's heart to a million pieces, it broke him to see her this hurt.

"Let me heal that for you" he pulled out his wand.

"Ginny's shit at healing magic" she tried to laugh, it came out too forced. He said a quick spell and the cut started to disappear. "Thank you" she whispered, tears welling back up in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry, please don't cry" he wrapped an arm around her and she melted into him, her shoulders starting to shake.

"I should've known, I just thought he'd missed the old days, like I did, I thought that he would have changed" she sniffled, Draco wasn't sure what to say, so he just kept rubbing circles on her back. There were a million things he wanted to say about the fucking Weasel. How he was a childish bastard and probably always would be, how unhappy he is with his own pathetic life, so he has to make everyone else as miserable as he is.

Hermione didn't need to hear that, though, she already knew it, deep down. She was a smart witch, the smartest witch he'd ever met, she was ten paces ahead of everyone at any given moment. With loved ones, you choose to ignore the bad parts, even if it hurts you, he knew that first hand.

"Everything is so complicated, all the time, I thought that after the war things would be easier, but it's not, it's harder, I want my best friends with me, but I also want space from them, I want to make a difference in this world, but I also just want to do, fucking, nothing" She laughed through her sobs. "Does that make me a horrible person?" She asked him.

"No, it makes you human, nothing is that easy, Granger, war or not, life is not that easy" He held her tighter, she cried harder. He kept holding her as her sobs died down, she held onto his shirt, he could feel her tears soaking through, but he didn't care.

"Thank you" She whispered in a hoarse voice.

"You don't have to thank me for anything, I'm not going anywhere" He said, tucking her hair behind her ears, she smiled up at him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, he was glad she wasn't crying anymore, but he knew she was still upset.

"You guys aren't making out in there, are you?" They heard from the other side of the door, Hermione laughed, her genuine laugh.

"No, Gin, you can come in" She wiped at her eyes, Draco slid his arm from around Hermione and put it at his side, he wasn't one for public displays of affection, and he wasn't really sure what they were. He didn't want to give a certain redhead any more reason to poke fun at them.

Potter and Ginny came in, walking awfully close to each other, they must have made up.

"You okay, Hermione?" Potter walked around the table to sit on the other side of her.

"I'm fine, just got caught up in my emotions is all" She smiled, she glanced from him back to Draco, a wave of calmness washing over her.

"He'll come around" Potter gave her shoulder a squeeze, she didn't say anything back.

"He said you wouldn't let him get a job as an Auror?" She finally took a sip of her tea, Potter shook his head, Ginny scoffed.

"Of course that's what he said, I said I wouldn't just give him the job, that he'd have to do all the training and tests first, he wanted a free pass" Potter rolled his eyes.

"My brother, wants a job but doesn't want to do the work, sounds about right" Ginny laughed, Draco couldn't help but chuckle. He expected the Weaselette to shoot daggers at him, but she didn't.

"I know what'll cheer you up 'Mione, I found some old books from the Black family that look interesting, well, interesting to you" Harry smiled brightly.

"That's so sweet of you, Harry" She laughed.

"Come on, they're upstairs" He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, she gave an apologetic look to Draco before being whisked away, leaving him along with the Weaselette. He started to fidget with his hands.

"You know, Hermione's my best girl-friend, she was my first friend that was a girl actually, she's been through a lot" Ginny sat down across from him, he started tapping his foot. "Ron is my brother so by law I have to love him, but he put Hermione through hell and I almost killed him for it, and he's my own brother" She leaned in closer. "You like her, I can tell that you do"

"I mean, I doubt she'd ever want anything with me, if that's what you're worried about" He looked down at his hands.

"Okay, so you're just as insecure as her, and oblivious, because she definitely has feelings for you, you're the one she asked for when she got here, she likes you for some unknown insane reason, but she does" Ginny grabbed his hands, tightly, causing his eyes to go wide with shock, he thought she was going to hex him for a second. "She deserves someone who's going to take care of her, she's taken care of everyone else her whole life, I don't know you and from what I remember you were horrid back at Hogwarts, but it seems like you've really changed and she wouldn't be so smitten with you if you hadn't, so I'd like to get to know you, just please take care of Hermione" She let go of his hands.

"I will, I promise" He nodded.

"Good" The red headed nodded. In a split second she had her wand drawn and pointed at his face. "And if you hurt her, I will hex that pretty face until there is no face left" He nodded quickly, and she lowered her wand. "Now that that's settled, tea?" She smiled, turning towards the stove.

Ginny Weasley was by far the scariest Weasley of them all, he made a mental note of never crossing her, ever.

Harry and Hermione came back down a few seconds later, Hermione carrying a stack of books, looking as happy as ever.

"Everything alright?" She asked, looking at Draco.

"Just peachy" Ginny answered for him, Hermione shrugged and sat back down next to Draco, she gave his hand a squeeze under the table and he felt reassured.

The two of them stayed a little bit longer, the three Gryffindors reminiscing about their school days, laughing at old memories. At first Draco felt out of place, he hadn't been a good memory for them back in the days, but after a while he enjoyed just hearing them all laugh and talking about the fun they had.

Hermione let out a yawn, and Draco could see just how tired she was. She had bags under her eyes, her eyes slightly puffy from all the crying.

"We should get going, let you two get some rest" Draco stood, Hermione smiled up at him and followed suit.

"Hermione, you'll come round more often, yeah?" Ginny said to her friend.

"Yes, I will, I promise" She pulled the redhead in for a hug, holding her tightly, she turned to give Potter a hug next. He forgot how touchy feely Gryffindors were.

"See you tomorrow, Potter" Draco nodded to him.

"See you later, mate" He nodded back, the two of them left through the floo, arriving back at Draco's seconds later. He looked over to see Hermione smiling at him.

"You know, now that you and Harry are 'mates', you should really call him by his first name" She laughed, Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes at her.

"We are not mates" This only made her laugh harder and Draco found himself smiling along with her, her laughter was contagious, her happiness was even more so.

She yawned again, the day heavy on her shoulders.

"You should get some rest, Granger" He said to her.

"You should too" She said back, he nodded, feeling slightly awkward. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to tell her how much he cared for her, how scared he'd been that something had happened to her. He didn't know how to share his feelings, he wasn't good at that, he was taught to keep things bottled up inside and to never let them out. She stood there for a few more seconds, but what felt like hours, until finally she let out a sigh and walked over to him.

"Goodnight, Draco" She leaned in at kissed his cheek, she turned and walked in the direction of her room, closing the door behind her. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in. He cursed himself silently for being so stupid. He should have grabbed her face and kissed her back, he should have said what he needed to.

But he didn't, because once a coward always a coward. He felt like punching a wall or breaking something, but instead he walked back to his own room, leaving the door slightly ajar, he laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

He knew sleep would not come tonight. He flicked his wand, shutting off the lights.

Hermione tossed and turned for a few hours. She was tired, beyond exhausted, the day had worn her down, but she still could not fall asleep. She thought about her exchange with Ron, which made her furious and upset at the same time, but she found herself thinking more about Draco. Something was going on between them, she could feel it, she knew he felt something for her too, or so she hoped. He was so damn hard to read, his sulky expressions never letting her guess what he was thinking. They had kissed, things had gotten steamy, that part wasn't in her head. What if that's all he wanted though? What if he couldn't handle a public relationship with her?

She let out an exasperated sigh and flicked her wand to turn on a light. She sat up and took a deep breath. Was she really going to do this? She fell asleep in his bed before, but this felt different for some reason. This time it felt more like a proclamation of sorts, one she hoped he wouldn't turn down.

She tiptoed out of her room and peaked down the hall, his door was open just a crack, but the lights were off. Maybe he was asleep?

"Just go back to bed" She muttered to herself. She was about to, but something came over her. A wave of confidence? Or more like a wave of stupidity? Either way, she found herself walking to his door. She pushed it open, his head snapped in her direction. He was still in his clothes, his shirt untucked, the first three buttons undone. He gave her a curious look. She stood there for a minute before walking to the other side of his bed, sliding in next to him.

"I couldn't sleep" She said quietly, pulling the covers over her.

"Oh" was all he said, she suddenly felt incredibly stupid, she felt like leaving.

"I can leave" but she made no intentions of moving.

"No, stay" he scooted closer to her and she couldn't help but smile, she leaned her head against his shoulder, she could feel him tense, but relax. Her eyes started to droop, and she knew within minutes she'd be asleep. She felt him push a stand of hair out of her face.

"Goodnight, Hermione" She heard him whisper, he kissed the top of her head gently, her eyes closed, and sleep claimed her, she fell asleep with a small smile on her face.


	8. Chapter 8

When Hermione woke, the first thing she realized was that she didn't have nightmare. She couldn't even remember the last time that had happened, a peaceful night's sleep. The next thing she realized was that she was alone in bed. She looked over to see Draco's side empty. She surveyed the room, the door was cracked open, she could smell coffee wafting from the kitchen. She followed the aroma, knowing who it'd lead her to.

He was sitting at the table, brows furrowed, concentrating on the papers scattered in front of him. He didn't even notice her standing there, watching him, he was too deep in thought.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" She asked, his head snapped up in her direction, he smiled at her and she felt her heart warm.

"Since this case is driving me insane" He laughed, she walked over to the pot and poured herself a cup.

"How long have you been up?"

"Few hours, I thought I had idea about something, but it turned out to be nothing, and then I just couldn't go back to sleep" He shrugged, she tried looking at all the files. "We could really use your help, you know, Harry asked me to ask you without actually asking you, whatever that means, are all Gryffindors so confusing?"

She laughed, silently agreeing, that yes, they were, "I'd rather just look it over on my own, if I see anything I'll let you know" she took a sip of her coffee, the taste waking her up.

"That makes no sense, just come with, it could help you and us if we look it over together" He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

She look at him, seeing just how stressed he was. She felt bad and knew it would be easier if she just sucked it up and helped them, but something was stopping her, she wasn't ready for that commitment yet, to be fully back in the wizarding world.

She didn't want to argue with him or add to his stress, but she wasn't going to relent just to make him feel better.

"I said no Draco, just drop it" She tried to say in a polite voice, but one that also said to leave the topic alone.

"Hermione, you said this case was important to you too, we need your help" He pleaded, Hermione could feel anger starting to bubble inside.

"Draco, I am not going with you, I'm not going to the Ministry, now leave it alone" She got up and put her mug in the sink, he stood up with her.

"We need your testimony" He said suddenly, she turned to face him slowly.

"What did you say?"

"I, um, told Harry how you were attacked, and how it's related to the case, he wants your testimony" Draco looked down at his feet, not meeting her eyes, she felt that anger reach it's tipping point.

"That was not your fucking information to tell, I told you I didn't want anyone to know about that, you promised me" She was trying to keep her voice leveled but was failing.

"There are still wizards going missing if you haven't noticed, we've had no breaks, we needed something new to look at" Draco tried to defend himself.

"You promised me! You fucking promised not to tell Harry, I thought I could trust you" She yelled at him, he flinched.

"You can, Hermione, please" He stepped towards her and she stepped back, holding up her hands.

"I'm going to Ginny's, don't you dare follow me" She shook her head, running for the floo.

"Hermione, wait" She heard him call out, she didn't hear what he said next, the flames encircling her, bringing her to her desired destination.

She sat down on the couch, trying to collect herself before looking for Ginny. She knew she was about to start crying but was holding the tears back. She shouldn't have lashed out at Draco, she knew that she would eventually have to tell Harry about her attack, she just wasn't ready yet. She was still embarrassed by it, by being so stupid. He would be upset with her and disappointed and she didn't want to see that. That's why she had left in the first place, because she couldn't stand to see Harry look at her with that saddened expression, like she was a failure.

She was overreacting, she knew it, and she shouldn't have left things the way she did, but if she had stayed she would've said things she didn't mean, that she would regret. She thought back to the fight she had with Ron when she had ended things. Hermione had tried to tell him as calmly as possible that it just wasn't working out, but he got so angry that it made her angry. Hermione had always been good with her words, she knew exactly what to say to make him hurt. And she did just that.

Any fight she had she always knew her words were her best weapon, but she didn't want to use them against Draco. She didn't want to hurt him, ever.

"Hermione?" Ginny walked through the kitchen doors, as soon as Hermione saw her she started to cry, "Hey, what's wrong, did Draco do something? I'll murder him" she came and sat next to her friend, pulling her in her arms.

"No, it was more my fault than anything" Hermione cried. "I messed up, Ginny, I really messed up" she cried harder.

"Hey, Malfoy is head over heels for you, whatever you did he'll forgive you in a heartbeat" She tried to soother her.

"Not just with Draco, I messed up long before him" She sniffled, trying to compose herself.

"Now you've lost me"

"This case that him and Harry are working on, I know things about it, I could've helped them, but instead I tried to figure things out on my own and got in over my head, I was embarrassed that I failed so badly, and Draco was only trying to help and I pushed him away, snapped at him for it" Hermione shook her head, she felt like a dam that was finally breaking. For so long she'd kept things bottled up and just kept hiding away her problems, but now she couldn't hold it in any more.

"Hermione, you're the brightest, smartest, kindest witch I know, you've had to do so much for everybody, it's okay to make mistakes and mess up in life, when we were kids it was a matter of life and death, but it isn't that way anymore. It's going to take time to get used to that, to realize not all your mistakes will end in death and destruction. Talk to Malfoy, talk to Harry, tell them what's going on and they'll understand" She soothed.

"Thanks, Gin, for everything" She sniffled, her friend held her close, "You really think Draco is head over heels for me?" Hermione asked quietly, Ginny let out a laugh.

"Yes, for as smart as you are you can be so oblivious, he's like a love sick puppy, it's actually quite adorable, although I still mildly want to punch him every time I see him" Hermione hit her friend playfully, "I'll just have to get used to him, and for you I will, I promise, but I can't promise I won't hex him if he provokes me" Ginny said.

"I can roll with that" Hermione smiled.

She sat with Ginny for a few more hours, they talked and laughed and had a proper girls night. Ginny had been Hermione's first and only girlfriend and she would be forever grateful for the red head. While she loved Harry dearly, he was not someone she could talk about boys to, or any other 'girl' matter. Hermione regretted leaving Ginny in the dust the most, but ultimately her friend understood why she left. After a month of being gone Hermione had gotten a letter from Ginny, that simply said _'Take your time, be safe'._

And that had been it, she had not sent Hermione anything else, didn't ask where she was even after months of radio silence.

"Hermione, you're here" Harry said as soon as he came out of the floo. "I wanted-

"I will come in tomorrow, Harry, I promise, I'll tell you everything, I just need the evening to rest" She cut him off, Ginny smiled proudly at her.

"Right, of course" He nodded, it looked like he wanted to say more, but Ginny was shooting daggers at him, so naturally he kept his mouth shut.

"I am sorry, Harry, for not telling you" she said to him as she stepped into the floo, she didn't wait for his response, not wanting to hear the shame or anger she knew he was feeling.

She looked around the room, half expecting to find Draco waiting for her, he wasn't. She couldn't blame him, she had fled, of course he didn't just sit around to wait for her.

"Draco?" She called out, no answer. She went looking through the rooms, not finding him in any.

She went back to the living room, sitting down on the couch and pulling a blanket over her. She felt like crying, but the tears wouldn't come, she had cried enough for the day. Her mind raced with the worst, thinking that he could be hurt or dead somewhere. It was moments like these she wished she could just turn her brain off, not have to think about anything. She wished she didn't have such dark thoughts all the time. That's what you get when you spend your whole childhood chasing bad guys and hunting down the evilest wizard to ever live. The aftermath of the war, of Voldemort, has been worse than when he was actually alive. Even in death, he's still leaving her broken and scared.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the floo roaring to life and spitting out a very intoxicated Draco Malfoy, he came tumbling to the ground. Hermione leapt up and ran to his side, trying to help him up.

"You're back" He commented

"Yes, I am, let's get you on the couch" She slung his arm around her shoulder and tried to heave him up, his lanky figure difficult to maneuver on her own.

He stumbled to sit down and looked up at her, a frown on his face.

"You left" He said, "Really angry at me" his words slurring together.

"Yes, I know, it's a bad habit of mine, I shouldn't have and I'm sorry" she sat beside him.

"I didn't think you were coming back" He said quietly, she felt her heart break a little.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I was mad at you and a little hurt, but I shouldn't have just run off like that, I'm here now, though" she put her hand on his leg, he looked down at it and back up at her.

"I don't want to hurt you, I never want to hurt you" he grabbed her hands, holding them tightly.

"I know, it's okay, we're okay" she comforted him, he nodded at her, leaning his head back, his eyes starting to close. She grabbed the blanket she had been using and pulled it over him, snuggling herself next to him.

"Goodnight, Draco" She whispered.

"Night, Hermione" He mumbled. "I love you" He said, like an afterthought. Her head jerked up to look at him, his eyes were still closed, and she heard a soft snore escape from him. He had fallen asleep. Leaving her to overanalyze those three words to death.

He was drunk, he didn't know what he was saying. Or did he?

Hermione wanted to shake him awake and force a pepperup potion down his throat, she wanted, no, needed, answers.

Instead she sat there, listening to him snore, thinking about those three little words, that really change everything.


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione didn't sleep. Not at all. She couldn't stop thinking about what Draco had said, what it meant for them.

He had said, half asleep and half drunk, he probably didn't even mean to say it. But he did say it, and regardless of the situation, the words were said. She hoped that he would wake up, that his eyes would shoot open and he would explain why he said it, if he meant it.

But he didn't, he just kept on sleeping, snoring quietly, his head resting on her lap.

She ran her fingers through his hair, his brows would furrow, like he was having a bad dream and she'd touch him and he'd settle. She tried to force her eyes close, in hopes sleep would follow, but it wouldn't. Her mind was an endless loop of Draco saying those three little words.

Did she love him back?

She thought back to Hogwarts, when he had spewed insults at her for appearance and heritage. Hermione had wished she could hate him, but she never did. He would make her so angry and hurt her with his words, but she couldn't find it in herself to hate him. She knew how much Harry and Ron had hated him, more Ron than anything.

Her mind flashed back to Fourth year, the Yule ball. She knew how attractive she had looked, her classmates were shocked to see her in makeup, her hair not a frizzy mess. She was overwhelmed by all the boys staring at her, like they stared at other girls. Boys never looked at her like that, they only saw her as the insufferable know it all, Harry and Ron's girl.

Throughout the night she got used to the stares, even started to enjoy it, but one in particular had caused her to blush.

Draco.

She saw him watching her out of the corner of her eye, she looked at him, expecting him to look away in embarrassment, but he hadn't. He had smirked at her, causing her to turn away, the pink returning to her cheeks. When she danced with Viktor, she caught him looking at her, when she went to get punch, he got up to follow her. Her pulse had raced, he was within feet from her, when Ron stepped in front of him to chastise her about Viktor. She saw him turn back around, back to Pansy, who looked annoyed.

Since that day, she couldn't shake the way he had made her feel when he looked at her. Since that day, she stopped caring about the insults and bullying, she saw past it. She saw it for what it was, an act, a cover for how he was really feeling. She knew he was jealous of how close Harry, Ron, and her were. She knew he was lonely.

Then sixth year happened, all she wanted to do was feed him soup and wrap a blanket around his slim frame. She wanted nothing more than to take care of him. She was angry at his so-called friends, for not doing anything to help him when he was so obviously drowning.

"What are you thinking about?" She looked down, Draco was looking up at her through sleepy eyes.

"Sixth year" She whispered, he immediately tensed.

"I've been trying to forget that year since it happened" He whispered back, looking away.

"I don't"

"Why? I let Death Eaters into the school, ruined everything" He sat up slowly.

"I wasn't thinking about that moment" She shook her head.

"What were you thinking about then? When I cursed Katie Bell, or when I poisoned your dear Weasel?" He said, bitterness in his voice.

"When Harry hit you with Sectumsempra" His head snapped in her direction, confusion written over his face.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because, I remember being so mad at Harry for being so stupid, using a spell he had no idea what it did, but also feeling so scared for you" She said quietly.

"You were worried about me?" He asked, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Yes, I was, so worried in fact I snuck into the infirmary the first night you were there, to check on you, you looked so broken, I wanted to take your pain away" She looked down at her hands, Draco didn't say anything, so she kept going, "I wanted to fix everything that was troubling you, even before Harry had cursed you, I wanted to hurt whoever or whatever was hurting you" She let out.

"Why?" He asked again.

"Because I love you, I have been in love with you since Fourth Year" She said in a low voice, she almost thought he hadn't heard her.

He reached his hand over, touching her cheek, she finally looked at him, he smiled at her.

"I love you too, Hermione" He leaned in and kissed her. His hands found their way to the back of her neck, pulling her in closer. She grabbed his shirt and deepened the kiss. He still tasted slightly of firewhiskey, but she didn't care. He brought one hand to rest on her lower back, she pushed him back, until he was laying down, with her straddling on top of him. She felt his hands go even lower, resting on her bum. She kissed at his neck, biting softly, and she felt a rush when she heard a small moan escape from him. He bit at her earlobe and it sent shivers through her, she started to pull up his shirt, he smiled through their kiss.

"Hermione" He said softly.

"What?" She was still trying to pull off his shirt.

"We have to get to the Ministry" He said, she stopped fumbling with his shirt, letting her head fall against his chest and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Right now?" She asked, she felt him laugh.

"Yes, I need to shower, and you need coffee, I know you didn't sleep" She sat up, still straddling him. "Which is my fault, I'm sorry" He said.

"It's okay" She smiled softly at him.

"It's not" He pulled her back down, kissing her once more, "But I think I know how I can make it up to you" He let his hands wander down her body again, his touch vibrating through her.

"I am definitely going to hold you to that" She said against his lips, he kissed her one last time, before Hermione extracted herself, letting him get up and get ready.

She brewed herself some coffee while he showered. Hermione couldn't stop thinking about all the ways he was going to 'make it up to her', the thought making her heart flutter. She changed quickly, Draco was waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Ready?" He asked her, she just nodded. The realization that she was going to face Harry and explain all that had happened to her, hitting her like a ton of bricks.

She wanted nothing more than to run away again. Instead, she grabbed a handful of powder and stepped in the fireplace.

"Ministry of Magic" She called out, the flames roaring to life.

She stepped out, waiting for Draco to follow after her. He stepped out, resting his hand on her lower back, leading her to their destination. They had left early enough to beat the crowds, but there were still a few wizards milling about, they looked in their direction, whispering to each other.

She could only imagine what they were saying.

"Here we are" Draco said, she nodded. "I don't have to be in there, if you don't want, it can just be Harry"

"No, I want you there, please" She grabbed his hand, he squeezed it in return.

They pushed through the doors, revealing Harry sitting at his desk, he looked up at them. His jaw tensed, she knew he was upset.

"Hermione, Draco, please sit" he pointed at the chairs, she wanted to roll her eyes at him.

Her best friend, acting like she was just another witness. She took a deep breath, sitting down. Harry wouldn't look at her, he was shuffling around with papers, she started to tap her foot. He started to talk with Draco about the case, still refusing to acknowledge her.

He was the bloody one who wanted her here.

"Oh come off it, Harry" She half yelled, both boys turned to look at her, Draco's eyes wide.

"Excuse me?" Harry said calmly.

"Shove it, Potter, I know what you're doing, you're trying to make me feel guilty, you're punishing me for what I did, which I understand was wrong, but enough already, let's get this over with" She said, crossing her arms.

"Oh, I'm punishing you? You knew about this case for how long? And didn't care to tell me that your connected to it, and you forbade you boyfriend who is also working on the case, to tell me" Harry countered, she saw Draco avert his eyes.

"I wasn't even sure if it was connected, it could be totally unrelated!" She yelled, ignoring the boyfriend bit.

"That doesn't matter! You didn't tell me you were in trouble, you didn't tell me where you were, you didn't even come to me when you escaped your attackers, you went to Malfoy, no offence, Draco, but I'm your best friend Hermione, why didn't you come to me?" He yelled back at her.

There it was.

She knew how hurt he was, that she didn't go to him for help, that she kept him in the dark. Hermione knew she messed up, but she didn't want to see Harry's disappointed look and more importantly she didn't want to drag him down her destructive path. He was at a good point in his life, he had the job he'd always dreamed of and his girl by his side. He had put the dive for danger stuff behind him after Voldemort. Hermione was still going through it and she didn't want to bring him into it. She had to do things on her own for once.

"Harry, I'm so sorry, I can't even begin to express how sorry I am, I wanted to go to you, but I was embarrassed, and I couldn't bring myself to face you, I love you Harry, you know that, I feel awful for how out of hand I let things get, I can't take back what I did or how things played out, but I'm here now, and I'll tell you everything, I promise" she felt her eyes starting to well up.

"I forgive you, but please Hermione, we never keep things from each other, please don't make this a regular thing" Harry pleaded, she nodded at him, wiping at her eyes.

"Right, well I guess I'll just dive in then" She said, sitting up straighter.

Harry took out a quill and paper, Draco turned to face her.

Hermione recounted everything. She had first noticed Dennis had gone missing, she knew he would never just up and leave his job. He had loved his job, more than Hermione did. He was excited to work, he always told her about new projects and progress in the letters he would send to Hermione. When all of a sudden, she stopped getting them, she knew something was off. Dennis kept to himself, she knew he didn't have any friends, so she wrote to her old boss asking if he knew anything about Dennis.

He didn't, just said he didn't show up to work one day and none after that. She followed a trail that lead nowhere, and another, and another. Hermione kept hitting all these dead ends, each time she got close to figuring out where he had gone, it always ended up being nothing.

And then she had been attacked.

Her attackers wore masks, no not Death Eater masks, just black fabric that covered their faces, almost looking like ski masks.

There had been three of them, they weren't the most skilled wizards, two of them didn't even use their wands which she found extremely odd, that's why it had been so easy to escape. They warned her to stop.

Of course, she didn't. She looked even harder.

A few months later, her attackers were back. This time with a whole group. Again, only one wizard had a wand while the others didn't.

The wizard with the wand only hit her with disarming spells, that was it. The others were attacking her like muggles would.

When one pulled out a knife, she had really panicked. They had slashed her leg, kicked and hit her.

With wandless magic, she was able to accio her wand back, apparating away to safety, just barely.

She finished her story, not daring to look at either of the boys staring at her.

"Bloody hell, Hermione" Draco stood, running a hand through his hair.

"I thought you knew?" Harry looked up at him.

"Not all of it, she only fucking told me that she'd been attacked, not the extent, or how" He started to pace the room, she wanted grab him and hold him and tell him how sorry she was.

"It sounds a lot worse than it was" Hermione said quietly, both boys rolled their eyes at her.

"No, Hermione, it was that bad, I remember, I had to heal your wounds" Draco said to her, she looked down at her hands again.

"It just doesn't make any sense, why they would use muggle tactics?" Harry said aloud, to no one in particular.

"That's one of the things I was trying to figure out, if there were wizards trying to forsake wands, maybe use only wandless magic, but none of them tried, it was only the one doing the magic and that was it" She shook her head, it still rattled her mind.

"We need to look over all the other cases in comparison to Hermione's" Harry said to Draco, who sat back down.

"I should let you boys do your thing" Hermione stood, she was feeling worn out having to recount all that.

"You could stay, we could always use another set of eyes" Harry offered.

"Not today, I want to help, just not today" She said quietly, he nodded at her.

"I'll walk you out" Draco stood again, she shook her head at him.

"I'll be fine, I'll see you at home" She smiled at him, Harry looked between the two of them with curiosity.

Draco sat back down, he turned to Harry and they started to go over Hermione's story. She slipped out of the office, closing the door softly behind her. She could feel panic swelling in her chest, she needed to get out of the Ministry.

She practically ran to the floo. She heard whispers, calling out her name, talking about her.

"_That's Hermione Granger" She heard._

"_She's back?"_

"_Heard she went crazy, had to be locked up" _

"_She looks crazy"_

She wiped at her eyes, stepping into the floo, but not going back home. Instead she found herself in Muggle London, on a train, at first not knowing where she was going to end up.

And then the intercom called out destination after destination and she knew where she was going. Where she needed to go.

She walked down her street, the street where she first learned to ride a bike, where her dad taught her how to drive.

She walked farther down until she was standing in front of her childhood home, still vacant. She walked up to the front door.

"Alohomora" She whispered, stepping through a door that she had stepped through so many times, but was not the same.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione didn't know why she came here. She knew how being in her childhood home would make her feel, but she came anyways.

She closed the door behind her, leaning against it, trying to picture her home as it was before. Everything was still there, the furniture in the same place, pictures hanging on the wall, only none of them were of her.

They had left, like she directed them to, packed a bag and just left.

Hermione had put a muggle-repelling charm on the house, after the war had ended. She thought she would want to come back, even if she couldn't get her parents memories back, she thought she might want to live there.

She had been wrong.

As soon as she had stepped through those front doors, she broke down and left and hadn't returned. Not till now.

She ran her hand along the couch, dust collecting on her fingertips. It felt rougher than she remembered, but it had been so long. She made her way through the kitchen, glancing at the cup of tea sitting in front of her mother's chair. She walked up the stairs slowly, stopping in front of her room. She pushed the door open, it creaked, and she felt tears prickling at her eyes. Her room was still her room, but it lacked any indication that it belonged to her.

Gone, were her posters, books, and pictures. It looked like any ordinary spare room, with pink comforters on the bed, an empty closet and an empty dresser to match. She sat down on her bed, that she had since she was a little girl.

She stood and drew her wand.

"Diffindo" She pointed at her curtains, the fabric tearing apart. She pointed at her bed, repeating the same spell.

"Bombarda" She yelled, her wand aimed at her desk, the wood flying in every direction, almost hitting her.

She kept pointing her wand at different things in her room, breaking and tearing and flinging things continuously. Her mirror shattered, a shard flew at her arm, she kept shouting spells and hexes. She took a moment to catch her breath, looking around her now disheveled room. She wiped at her face, not realizing that she had been crying.

She left her room, walking down the hall to her parent's room. They had left behind clothes and other personal items. They hadn't taken any pictures or knickknacks.

She raised her wand again, letting out a sob, her arm shook as she said more spells, tearing apart her parent's room.

She blew their bed to pieces. The bed that she used to crawl into when she had nightmares, that they would have movie nights in.

She shattered her mother's vanity, where she had watched her mother do her makeup and hair, Hermione would be captivated watching her get ready. She loved to see how her mother would concentrate, applying her lipstick effortlessly, curling her hair to perfection. Hermione remembered her mother trying to teach her how to do it herself, to no avail.

The white wood lay at her feet, her mother's makeup brushes circling around her like a protective barrier. She kicked them away, she picked up her mother's hairbrush, the tears were clouding her vision, she threw it at the window, the glass cracking.

She ran down her stairs, tucking her wand in her back pocket. She opened the cupboards and started to throw glasses and plates on the ground, hearing the glass shattering on the ground filling her with satisfaction. She grabbed a mug, smiling at the batman logo, her father had been a huge comics fan. She wondered if he was still dragging her mother to comic stores, in search of limited editions.

Hermione looked around her, the mess that she had made. She set the mug down on the counter, she sunk to the ground, sitting amongst all the debris.

"What did I do?" She said to herself, letting the sobs wrack her body.

She wanted her parents, she wanted to run to them and she wanted them to tell her it was all going to be okay. She wanted her mother to run her fingers through Hermione's tangled hair, her father to rub circles in her back.

She wanted their comfort and their support, but she couldn't have it, she'd never have that again. Hermione knew what she was doing when she obliviated her parents, but it didn't make it any easier, and now that time has passed, it felt harder.

Hermione sat in the middle of her kitchen, the one that she wrecked, that looked like a tornado had ripped through, and cried. She continued to cry and scream and cry some more.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, fleeing the Ministry had felt like eternities ago.

Her head snapped up when she heard someone at the front door, she grabbed her wand from her back pocket.

"Hermione?" She heard, she knew the voice.

"I'm in here" She called from the kitchen floor, her voice raspy from yelling and crying, Harry came running from the living room.

"Hermione, Merlin's beard, we were worried sick about you, what happened?" He looked around her, she looked down at her hands in shame.

"Hermione?" She heard from behind Harry, Draco stepped in the kitchen, almost tripping over a broken chair.

"I, um, don't k-know what came o-over me" She felt the tears welling in her eyes again.

In a split-second Draco was crossing the room, he knelt down next to her, pulling her into his arms. She started to sob again, even though she thought she had used up all her tears.

He held her as her body shook, when she stopped crying, and when she started again.

She didn't know how long they had been that way, with Draco holding her as she quite literally lost herself. At some point Harry had left, leaving her in Draco's embrace.

She used the back of her sleeve to wipe at eyes, they felt heavy and tender. She didn't want to look at Draco, embarrassed by her actions.

She didn't know how to explain what happened or what brought it on. He seemed to understand that she didn't want to talk because he simply helped her to her feet, brushing dust off her clothes. He held out his hand to her, she grabbed it gratefully, knowing she was in no state to apparate herself.

They appeared outside of Draco's home, she breathed a sigh of relief, he put his arm around her shoulder, leading her inside.

They didn't speak, not as he led her through the house, to the bedroom, not when he sat her on the bed, taking each shoe off. He helped take her jacket off, she watched dust fall to his white carpets. He walked quietly to the bathroom, she heard him turn on the faucet and the bathtub being filled. She felt like crying again, but this time she felt like crying out of happiness, that she had someone who cared for her in a way Draco did.

He came back out, holding out his hand again, she took it.

"I'll be right outside the door" He whispered to her, kissing the top of her head before slipping out the door, leaving it open just a crack.

Hermione slowly undressed, trying to ignore the dirt, dust, and slivers of wood that still covered her clothes.

She looked at herself in the mirror, feeling a sense of dejavu. The first time she had looked at herself in this mirror, she had been a right mess. She thought things had changed but looking at herself she still felt like a mess. Her eyes swollen, her hair tangled every which way, scrapes on her face and on her hands.

She turned away, dipping a toe into the warm water, before stepping in. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the back of the tub.

She let the warm water calm her sore muscles and her anxious thoughts.

Once she dried off, she saw a pile of clean clothes waiting for her, she put them on and peaked outside, Draco was sitting on the bed, book in hand.

She tiptoed over to him, sliding in next to him, he set his book down and put an arm around her, holding her close to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, she didn't, but knew she should.

"During the war, I had to obliviate my parents, made them think they never had me, they moved to Australia, it was the safest way, it hurt to do it, but there was so much going on I didn't really have time to think about it and really feel their absence, you know? But now, it's like everything I do, I always think of them, and it hurts, as much as I try to ignore it, the pain just becomes overbearing" Hermione let out in one breath, she was looking down at her hands, not wanting to face him.

"I didn't know you did that" He said quietly, Hermione just shrugged, silently thankful that he didn't say the typical 'I'm so sorry' crap she always got. "You shouldn't ignore it, the pain, I mean, it only makes it harder, you have to feel everything, you can't bottle it up or it'll just get worse, trust me" He said, and she knew he was right.

"Sometimes I wish they had died, because then I could mourn them, but they're alive and well, they just have no idea who I am" Hermione had always felt that way, but never spoke it aloud, always feeling to guilty to even think that way.

"It would definitely be easier that way, sometimes I wish Lucius would just die, then I wouldn't have to feel guilty about him rotting away in Azkaban, even though I know he deserves it" Draco said quietly, she finally looked up at him, she wasn't expecting to share anything, certainly anything pertaining his father, which was a touchy subject.

"I just feel like everyone is getting better, while I'm the same, still just as messed up" Hermione could feel the tears threatening to spill again.

"You're not messed up, Hermione, everything that you're feeling is perfectly normal, it's okay to not be okay" He said to her.

"Everyone expects me to be the same, smart, strong, golden girl Hermione Granger" She let a tear fall.

"But you're not, you're not the same person and you don't owe it to anybody to try and be that person, be who you want to be, Hermione, fuck anybody who says anything otherwise" He said, she smiled at him.

"Thank you" She pulled his face to hers, kissing him softly.

His hands held onto her waist, she twisted around so that she was leaning more against him. He pulled her on top of him, she smiled against his lips. He broke their kiss, his mouth finding its way to her neck, biting softly, she let out a soft moan. Her hands fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, he chuckled softly, helping with the rest. He pulled up her shirt, lifting it over her head.

She felt slightly self-conscious, looking at his lean and perfect body.

"You're beautiful" He whispered against her skin, all self-doubts drifting away. His kisses traveled lower, she grabbed at his pants, unbuckling his belt, his hand wrapped around to her back, unclasping her bra.

"Are you sure?" He asked her quietly.

"Surer than I've ever been about anything" she grabbed his face again, kissing him harder, easing away any of his hesitation.

Light streamed in through the window, Hermione felt his warm body next to her, she looked over, he was still fast asleep. She couldn't help but blush, thinking of last night's escapades. She grabbed an extra blanket off the bed, wrapping it around herself before getting up, padding softly on the floor.

"I've seen you naked, is that really necessary?" She heard him say, sleep still in his voice.

"Yes, it is" She giggled, blushing slightly.

"Come back to bed" He mumbled, patting the empty space next to him.

"In a minute" She nodded, heading for the bathroom, she freshened herself up before opening the door and going back to bed, to Draco.

He was more awake, the blanket lower, showing off his abs, she took a moment to admire him.

"Like what you see?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Very much so" She smiled, crawling in next to him, she traced the scars on his chest, knowing where some of them came from.

"I should get ready" He sighed.

"Maybe I can stop by for you lunch, we can grab something to eat nearby" She offered.

"That would be wonderful" his face lit up, she smiled at him, he kissed the top of her head before getting up, getting ready for the day.

He got dressed quickly, opting for a navy-blue button up today, it made him look less pale than his usual all black clothes.

"I'll see you for lunch then" He leaned down to kiss her goodbye.

"You will" She nodded.

She heard him leave, the floo carrying him to the Ministry, she pulled the covers further up over her, knowing she should put some clothes on, but too tired to move. She felt her eyelids getting heavier, until she drifted off to sleep.

"Hermione" She heard her name called.

"Hermione!" She heard again, she opened one eye, looking around. It definitely wasn't Draco's voice.

"Hermione Granger, bloody hell how many rooms are there" She heard from the hall, the voice closer.

"Ginny?" She called out, seconds later the redhead busted through her door, Hermione pulled the covers up over her body. "What are you doing here? How'd you get past the wards?" Hermione asked in a shrill voice, very of aware of how unclothed she was.

"I'm married to Harry Potter" She shrugged. "I need to talk to you" She started to walk around the room, looking at everything.

"Ginny, can you give me a minute, I'll meet you in the kitchen" Hermione held the blankets tighter against her.

"I've seen you in your jammies before, Hermione, don't get all shy on me now" Ginny laughed.

"Ginny, I'm not in my jammies" Hermione could feel her face starting to heat up.

"Merlin, Hermione you're just in your knickers, aren't you?" Ginny half-yelled, half-laughed.

"Not exactly" Hermione mumbled, her face the shade of tomato.

"You're naked! Hermione Granger you shagged Malfoy! This is amazing" Ginny was full on yelling excitedly now.

"Ginny get out!" Hermione pulled the covers over her head, hiding her face.

"I need all the details once you're decent" Ginny laughed on her way out, Hermione heard the door click behind her, her cackling drifting to the kitchen.

She let out a long moan before hurrying to the closet, finding a pair of her jeans and a shirt, she needed more clothes, she thought to herself.

"I cannot believe you, Hermione Granger, are shagging Draco Malfoy" Ginny said as soon as Hermione emerged.

"You knew we were together, it shouldn't be that much of a shock to you" Hermione sat at the table.

"Not officially, you haven't gone out in public at all" She raised an eyebrow at Hermione.

"Well, I'm actually meeting him for lunch today, so consider us public" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Perfect! Because you two are coming out for drinks with me and Harry this Friday" Ginny smiled brightly.

"We are?" Hermione sputtered.

"Yes, you are, we need to have a fun night out, and I want to get to know Malfoy better" She smiled.

"Right, of course, sounds like a great idea" Hermione felt herself nodding, but thinking that it did not sound like a great idea at all.

"Perfect! I'll owl you details, I can't wait" Ginny squeezed Hermione's hand.

When lunch time rolled around, Hermione felt her anxiety creeping up. She took a deep breath, collecting herself before leaving out the front door. She walked the two blocks to the apparition point, she landed in Diagon Alley with a crack, Draco waiting for her.

"You made it" He smiled at her.

"Of course I did" She smiled back.

"Right, well, I was thinking we could go somewhere in Muggle London if you want" He said.

"No, let's stay around here"

"Are you sure?" He asked with hesitancy.

"Yes, if that's all right with you" She nodded.

"Of course" He nodded back, they walked down the Alley, arms brushing each other, but not holding hands, until the agreed on a small café, that looked secluded enough to not draw to much attention to them.

The sat and ordered, sandwiches and tea for the both of them.

"Ginny stopped by earlier" Hermione said, fidgeting in her chair.

"She did? That must have been nice" Draco said, taking a sip of the tea that had been set in front of him.

"Yes, very nice" Hermione excluded the part where she had still been naked in bed. "She actually invited us out for drinks, with her and Harry, this Friday" She took a sip of her own tea, Draco coughed on his tea, setting it down carefully.

"Drinks? With Potter and Weaselette?" He looked at her incredulously.

"Yes, I've already said yes, that we'll go" Hermione took another nervous sip of her tea.

"Right, drinks with Potter and the Weaselette, should be a grand time" Draco mumbled, the waitress brought out their food, setting it down.

"It's just drinks, what could go wrong?" Hermione said, Draco raised an eyebrow at her, knowing that so many things could go wrong.


End file.
